Over at Slacktory, artist Oliver Miller has created 8-bit covers for famous books, turning classic novels into pixel-paintings that look like video games from the 1980s.

We’ve embedded Miller’s cover for J.R.R. Tolkien‘s The Two Towers above, what do you think about his computerized take on the fantasy novel? The image above built upon Wizard by Radpants at Make Pixel Art and Towers by Mildtoast at Make Pixel Art. If you like his 8-bit art, Miller also illustrated the first lines of some famous short stories.

Here’s more from the artist: “I selected the novels above, not as a list of the Greatest Novels of All Time, or as a list of My Favorite Novels of All Time, but because they were (mostly) books that I love whose covers I knew how to illustrate. Full confession: I have not read An American Tragedy, and I think that Theodore Dreiser is a boring writer. I just liked the title. And I started reading Moby-Dick (“Call me Ishmael”) and Gravity’s Rainbow (“A screaming comes across the sky”) but I did not finish reading them. Someday I will finish reading them. I read all the others.” (Via Rachel Fershleiser)

Read more

What book would you carry during a march? For the last few years, activists have created book cover shields to use for protests.

As you can see by the photo embedded above, these “Book Blocs” make a striking image during a protest. The Occupy Wall Street Library will host a workshop on July 29th, showing readers and activists how to use these tools.  Here’s more about the class:

Perhaps the most striking example of such deployment of books has been the Book Bloc—phalanxes of protesters hoisting large shields against lines of riot police, each emblazoned with the cover of a book. Book Blocs first appeared in Italy in 2010, and since then they have made their way to London, Spain, California, New York and beyond.  For this workshop, we will supply the materials and instructions to make our own book shields. Members of Occupy CUNY and librarians from the People’s Library will be on hand to talk about the history of the Book Bloc and spark conversation about the tactical and symbolic uses of books. Participants are encouraged to drop in for the workshop anytime between 2-5pm.

The first issue of X-O Manowar featured a talking comic book cover (video embedded above).

With a smartphone and QR codes, the comic book company actually made the main character speak through the comic cover in a short video. Do you think more authors should experiment with this cover technology? The comic was written by The Surrogates author Robert Venditti with art by Eisner Award-winning Conan artist Cary Nord.

Here’s more about the comic: “Born into battle, Aric of Dacia — heir to the throne of the Visigoth people — has never known peace. After a brutal encounter with a mysterious enemy known as The Vine leaves him a prisoner on an alien world, the only hope Aric has of returning to his family and saving them from slavery is to seize a weapon of incalculable destruction and become X-O Manowar!?

Little, Brown and Company revealed the cover for The Casual Vacancy today, a 512-page novel for adults from J. K. Rowling.

The hardcover will cost $35, the large-print hardcover will cost $39.00 and the eBook will cost $19.99–what do you think? Publication is set for September 27, 2012.

Here’s more about the book: “When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen.” (Via Book Riot)

Author John Green revealed that seventeen-year-old Sarah Turbin had won his An Abundance of Covers contest. Readers were invited to submit their cover designs for the new paperback edition of Green’s 2006 Printz Honor title, An Abundance of Katherines.

Above, you can see Turbin’s simple design. Green said the cover “embraced the nerdiness of the book,” and he shared this piece of advice on book design: “I think it has to look good in print; it has to look good blown-up; it has to look good on a screen and it has to look good one-inch tall.”

During the BookExpo America event, Penguin Young Readers Group gave away 150 signed copies of the new paperback edition. Several fans also asked Turbin for her autograph.

Read more

Vintage and Anchor Books art director John Gall has revealed the design for the paperback edition of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.

We’ve embedded a photograph above–what do you think?

The New York Times had more details: “Gall, the art director for Vintage, designed the paperbacks to be visible through a clear plastic box, fitting together to create one image. The list price is $29.95, and Vintage will initially print 50,000 copies.” (Image link via Sarah Weinman)

What if your book cover could interact with your reader? Drag your mouse over the book cover embedded above to see what the future might look like.

UK Publisher Walker Books just unveiled that cover for Daylight Savings by Edward Hogan. Impressed by the design, literary agent Jonny Geller tweeted a great question: “Better than a book trailer?”

Here’s more about the book: “Today, in fact right this second, the clocks are going back an hour. For most of us, this is a fantastic day as it means we get an extra hour to stay wrapped under the duvet, safe in our beds. But for one of the main characters in Edward Hogan’s debut young adult novel, Daylight Saving, this time of year brings nothing but fear… it’s a thriller ghost story by a new voice in YA fiction that will have you utterly gripped. We can also tell you that this very night, when the clocks go back, is one that fills the characters with dread.” (via Jane L.)

In breaking summer publishing news, editor and freelance writer Michelle Witte has proven that Penguin Classics covers would make great band-aids.

Last week Penguin Classics unveiled a super cool limited-edition set of skateboard decks featuring cover art from Penguin Classics’ titles. You can actually win one of the skateboard decks if you submit a picture of a Penguin Classic and a skateboard. Follow this link for more information about the contest.

Inspired by the contest, Witte designed a set of band-aids with some hilarious choices of classic titles on the front. Here’s more from the post: “Skateboards are boring. But bandaids with Penguin Classic covers? Yes, please! So to make a pitch to the people at Penguin Classics, I offer my suggestions for extremely awesome bandaids featuring some of the great Classics book covers.”

The cover for Robert Kirkman‘s first novel set in the world of The Walking Dead comic book series has been unveiled. Entitled The Walking Dead: The Rise of The Governor, the book debuts at the end of September.

Last year Kirkman landed a series book deal with the Thomas Dunne Books imprint at St. Martin’s Press. The first book in the series will be co-written Jay Bonansinga.

Above, we’ve embedded the cover for the new novel. SPOILER ALERT: The description of the book below reveals a few broad plot details from the comic book series.

Read more

Author and Reddit user Max Barry convinced his publisher to let the Reddit community help pick the cover for his book, Machine Man. As of this writing, cover design #5 lead with nearly 80 votes.

Check it out: “Here are some images. I would deeply love to hear what you think, because getting the cover right is really important, and I’ve been staring at designs so long I can’t remember what books are supposed to look like. And I trust your judgment. Or, at least, I’ve been around Reddit long enough to know there are more smart people here than lunatics.”

Follow this link to see all the potential cover images on a single page. Leave your cover votes in the comments thread at this link. You can also sample the book in this online serial version.